Arrangement for starting lighting regulation on dimmer control in stage lighting



April 18, 1950 A. ARVIDSSON 2,504,619

. ARRANGEMENT FOR STARTING LIGHTING REGULATION 0N DIMMER CONTROL IN STAGE LIGHTING Filed Sept. 11, 1949 Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARRANGEMENT FoR STARTING LIGHTING REGULATION N DIMMER CONTROL IN STAGE LIGHTING Application March 11, 1949, Serial No. 80,862 In Sweden March 11, 1948 Allmiinna Svenska 6 Claims.

For the lighting regulation in stage lighting, dimmer controls are used comprising means for closing and breaking the current and for the regu lation of the luminous intensity of several lamps, and devices for the control of their function. This lighting regulation in the first place relates to the stage lighting in theatres, but it can also comprise such means in cinemas, circuses, dancing halls, and to the regulation of the lighting in the auditoriums of theatres and the like, or to the production of especial lighting eifects such as the displa of light on curtains, screens or the like. Besides of having the possibility to operate the lamps separately, it is also desirable to operate a plurality of lamps or lamp groups simultaneously. This may be obtained by enabling a corresponding number of operating units to be connected with a common driving means. Measures then must be taken in order to enable a simultaneous starting and stopping of the units. Considerable advantages can be obtained, if a certain lighting programme in any manner can be set in advance and then can be performed by means of a simple operation.

In electrically operated dimmer control, where the regulation is initiated in such a manner that a plurality of starting push buttons must be depressed, it has been proposed to perform a simultaneous starting thereof by means of a flap which may be tilted over the push buttons and which has straight in front of the corresponding push buttons openings which can be closed. In tilting the flap against the push buttons, only those are actuated, which register with openings closed by the sliders in the flap. By numbering the sliders, a clear representation of the actual lighting programme may be obtained. This arrangement, however, has the disadvantage, that it is rather complicated and takes up much room on the usually narrow key or push button board.

The present invention gives a solution of this problem which has not the disadvantages mentioned above. The invention relates to means for facilitating the realisation of various lighting programmes in stage lighting, in that among a number of lamp units only certain lamp units, selected in advance, are actuated simultaneously, and is substantially characterized by the fact, that the selection of the various lamp units intended for simultaneous operation is accomplished by their connection through switching means to a common bus-bar, which may be connected up by a particular switch, while the units are connectable through other switches to a busbar normally being under tension.

On the drawings some different embodiments of the invention are shown. In Figs. 1-3, regulating devices are indicated for three lamp units, and in Fig. 4 a doubling of Fig. 1 is illustrated for one lamp unit.

Fig. 1 thus shows diagrammatically switches l for pro-selection, both connected to a common bus-bar 2 and through unidirectional valve means 3 to a control coil 4, which operates the lamp unit. By means of a push button 5, the bus-bar 2 is connected up. By push buttons 6, the control coils 4 further may be connected with the bus-bar 1, which is permanently under tension. The return of the current is accomplished through the common bus-bar 8.

A certain lighting programme is set up in advance by closing the switches I for the lamp units to be switched in, the control coils of which are connected up simultaneously by depressing the push buttons 5. The push buttons 6 are used if it is desirable to operate the lamp units independently of the pre-selection by the switches I. The valve means 3 prevent that the common start works otherwise than if the push button 5 is depressed. The dimmer control thus can be used either for the common or for the individual operation of the lamp units. If the dimmer control is intended for operation in both directions, such as for upward and downward regulation of the luminous intensity, it can be provided with two starting means, one for each direction.

Fig. 2 shows a connection enabling the preadjustment of two lighting programmes independent of each other. Thus, by doubling or multiplying the number of bus-bars which may be switched in separately, it is possible to preset a plurality of various lighting programmes.

In Fig. 3, another embodiment of the presetting of various lighting programmes is shown. Therewith the bus-bars, normally dead, are traced to corresponding lamp units through switches, which may be connected with either of the busbars. However, without the reverse of the switch for presetting, it is not possible, in this case, to use the same lamp unit in more than one lighting programme.

Finally, in Fig. 4, constituting a doubling of the arrangement of Fig. 1 and thus enabling the same load unit to be regulated up and down, the switch for the selection in advance of a certain direction of movement of the regulating means is a two-way switch I with neutral position.

I claim as my invention:

1. Means for effecting various lighting programs in stage lighting systems, wherein certain pro-selected lamp units are actuated simultaneously, comprising a common bus-bar, switching means for the connection and disconnection thereof, individual switches connected to the said bus-bar for the pare-selection of the particular lamp units tobe actuated, a bus-bar normally under tension, and switching means connecting each lamp unit to the latter bus-bar for th individual actuation of each lamp unit independently of the first-mentioned bus-bar.

2. Means according to claim 1, comprising unidirectional current valves interposed between the lamp units and the first-mentioned bus-bar.

3. Means according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of additional separately connectable busbars, and means including uni-directional current valves connecting the lamp units thereto, in addition to the connections between said units and the said bus-bar normally under tension.

4. Means for facilitating the production of vari- "ous programs of illumination in stage lighting systems wherein, among a number of lamp units, only certain pre-selected units are actuated simultaneously, comprising individual lamp control circuits divided into branches, two feed bus bars coupled with one pole of a control current source, individual switch means adapted to connect said branches alternatively to said bus bars, one of said bus bars being permanently connected to said source, a single switch means whereby the other bus bar is connectible to said source, and uni-directional current valves interconnected within the branches leading to the last-mentioned bus bar to prevent control current from flowing through branches over switch means closed for a future program.

5., Means for facilitating the production of Various programs of illumination in stage lighting systems wherein, among a number of lamp units,

only certain pre-selected units are actuated simultaneously, comprising individual lamp control circuits, each divided into more than two branches, feed bus bars corresponding in number to said branches and each coupled with one pole of a control current source, a switch for coupling each bus bar to said source, an additional bus bar permanently connected with the same pole of the control current source, individual switches adapted to alternatively connect said branches to said first-mentioned bus bars and to said additional bus bar, and uni-directional current valves interconnected within the branches leading to the said first-named bus bars to prevent control current from flowing through branches over switch means closed for future programs.

6. An arrangement comprising two means according to claim 4, and a common bus bar connected thereto and coupled with the other pole of the control current source, and wherein the said individual switches, having interconnected uni-directional current valves within the branches, are two-way change-over switches.

ALGOT ARVIDSSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,736,454 Masek Nov. 19, 1929 1,7G0,943 Fuller June 3, 1930 1,846,620 St. John Feb. 23, 1932 1,907,030 Adam May 2, 1932 1,911,911 Marsh May 30, 1983 2,248,084 Holcomb, Jr. July 8, 1941 

